Category Archives: Fashion

Okay, gals. It’s almost October (where did the time go?!) and if you’re like me, you’re still in the midst of a summer vacation haze.

The weekends go by too fast, and it is (still) very, very difficult to get the kids to school on time. Even if they wake up before 6am. And getting to work on time? That may end up being a 2016 resolution.

Stop lashing yourself and read this guide to getting dressed in the morning. No matter how many little or big humans are trying to sabotage your “out the door” exit plan, this will save you at least ten minutes of precious time in the A.M.

Tip #1: Plan your outfit the night before. This is akin to laying out your kids’ clothes for school the next day. It works, if you have the time and wherewithal — and headspace — to style yourself in advance of the day ahead. Try to make this a priority.

Tip #2: Pick something dark. At HEUCY, we are big fans of black, gray and other dark shades that effectively camouflage wear, tear and stains. You dropped your latte all over your chest this morning? Just be happy you didn’t burn yourself, and move past it. Our organic jersey fabric is great for wiping off an unwanted mess. Choose bright accessories (tangerine kitten heels, an emerald green handbag or a bright red lip) to add a punch of color and personality. Our HEUCY Gals Erika, Kate and Andy — all of whom have very busy work and social schedules — demonstrate how dark can work for Fall.

Tip #3: Layer! It’s that time of year. Cold one minute, but once the sun hits you and you’re locked between tall buildings, you’re sweating. Scarves, light jackets and cardigans are October necessities. Blogger Grace Atwood (thestripe.com) paired her HEUCY with a fabulous Burberry trench. A great choice when the temps start to fall below 70.

Tip #4: Invest in a comfortable jumpsuit. We love ours (natch) but there are lots of high and low options out there. HEUCY’s version is made of soft cotton and it works well in meetings with adults and children…so you’re covered, literally and figuratively, no matter what your job for the day may be.

Tip #5: Love thyself. This is the time of year when we are jarred into juggling work meetings, scheduling play dates, somehow making time for our partners…all things that should give us joy, but become sources of stress. So if you forgot about the coffee date with your best friend, don’t beat yourself up. Or you were late for a meeting with your boss? Again, it happens. You fed your child birthday cake for breakfast because you didn’t have anything else in the fridge? He’ll live. (For the record, I fed myself birthday cake this morning and it was delicious. YOLO). We’re all human, and Fall is one of the best seasons ever. Enjoy it. And pair your enjoyment with some chic, sustainable and comfy clothes. Because you deserve to look and feel your best.

This past weekend, I took a trip to Target en famille and noticed my husband sneak away to peruse the men’s denim section. I thought to myself, Is he trying to avoid the toy aisle…or is he looking for new jeans? Perhaps it’s time for me to intervene.

The men in your lives may enjoy shopping (mine does not), but regardless everyone can use a little wardrobe advice. And now that the “Dad Bod” is getting so much press, if your guy or friend (or dad!) has one, why not celebrate it with some cool new duds? Which is why we turned to HEUCY Gal and style guru Nicola Harrison Ruiz to provide some invaluable men’s styling tips. Nicola recently launched a men’s styling website and consulting service, called Harrison Style. She can also be seen wearing the Perfect Ten dress on heucy.com’s “HEUCY Gals” page. Trust us, you’ll want her advice!

It’s spring! Time for dresses and sandals, no more coats and tights and boots. No more taking 10 minutes just to layer up to face the cold. Spring and summer is all about easy, breezy dressing. But what about the men in our lives? As a personal stylist for men and women I find that while women have an easier time dressing in the warmer months, men tend to get a little sloppy when the temperatures heat up. So here are a few tips to pass on for effortless spring style for the guys.

Upgrade Your Denim

Everyone needs a good pair of dark denim jeans that fit right. They should be slim but not too skinny and definitely not baggy. Be sure they have a slight stretch and they’ll be just as comfy as the ones you’ve been wearing for the last ten years. I love Seven for All Mankind, Standard fit, or J. Brand, Kane fit, although there are number of brands out there with a slim straight leg, you just have to try a few on to get the fit that’s right for you.

Once you’ve got them WEAR THEM! I find that some guys save their dark denim for “going out” or dates. Don’t do that. Wear them to get coffee, to walk the dog, to go to brunch with your wife and kids. They instantly upgrade your look from those faded old jeans you’ve been wearing religiously for the past few years.

Don’t Sweat It

There’s nothing wrong with having a favorite sweatshirt or hoodie – just make sure it’s modern, flattering and fits well. Vince and Theory have some great options that are still casual but are more streamlined than that balloon-like sweatshirt you’ve been holding onto from your college days.

Get Sneaker Smart

Never wear your gym sneakers unless you’re going to the gym. Instead get a pair of what I call “street sneakers” to wear with jeans and casual pants. Converse and Adidas have various “cleaned up” versions, as do more designer lines such as Common Projects.

Invest in a Vest

Buy a thin vest (not the puffy kind) to layer under a sportcoat when it’s chilly, and to wear over a shirt or a sweater as the weather warms up. (It will also give you more pockets to store your keys and wallet so your pants don’t look bulky). You can’t go wrong with Barbour or Salence.

The Tan Suit

If you don’t have a sharply tailored tan suit to get you through the spring and summer, now’s the time to get one. You can wear it to work, to a wedding, out to dinner, or wear just the jacket paired with jeans for a date. You can dress it up or down. Tan is so neutral that you can wear it with white, turquoise, lavender, powder blue – it’s hard to mess this up. It’s the one suit you should invest in now.

We just released another awesome, HEUCY Gal-friendly addition to our Spring 2015 collection: the Burnout dress. It has a drawstring waist, pockets, and all of the simply chic comfort your day and night requires. And it’s made right here in NYC.

Not to sound like a broken record, but I’ll go ahead and say it again. Team HEUCY is really inspired by our relationship with our factory in Manhattan’s Garment Center. Our factory owner Rosanna is a true partner, and we value the mentorship she has provided since we launched the brand in October. We produced this video, in conjunction with NYC Fashion Made (nee Save the Garment Center), to show other young designers the importance of a collaborative relationship with a factory like Rosanna’s.

We’re very committed to thoughtfulness in design and production, which is why we use sustainable fabric and produce HEUCY garments locally. We know you care about this, too.

Yesterday was one of those days where time flies by, but you’re having so much fun you don’t realize it! We know, firsthand, that this is not always the case…so if you want to live vicariously, read on about our shoot yesterday and the incredible HEUCY Gals (nee “real life” models), Robin and Asa, we were lucky enough to photograph. Hopefully they will inspire you too.

Setting: it’s 10:30am, on a Thursday. Suwha and I are consuming our third (or fourth?) cups of coffee, working. At that moment, a beautiful, statuesque, cheerful woman appears at the door of HEUCY HQ. It is Robin Wilson, our first model for that day. We knew Robin was attractive. And we knew that she was an entrepreneurial powerhouse; her second book, Clean Design: Wellness for Your Lifestyle just came out (she’s currently in the midst of a 12 city tour now to promote it) and she is the CEO of Robin Wilson Home, a line of eco-friendly home products that is sold at Bed, Bath & Beyond.

We wanted to photograph Robin partly because of her advocacy of green living, a natural synergy with HEUCY. But as we chatted with Robin after she arrived, Suwha and I realized that we had won the model lottery! Not only would Robin look amazing in a potato sack (I mean, those arms…), but she also had a lot of invaluable business advice for us. Robin has been incredibly successful in a variety of roles, and she has learned a lot along the way. And, because Robin had been a model back in the day, she was a natural in front of the camera. Robin is also a mom, and she successfully juggles her growing empire with being a doting parent. It was really encouraging to talk with her about motherhood and running a business.

After bidding Robin adieu, and best of luck on her book tour, we trekked to Williamsburg, Brooklyn to photograph our other new lady crush Asa Larsson. Picture Gwyneth Paltrow with a shorter haircut and a slight Swedish accent. Asa Larsson had been head of PR at Marc Jacobs for years, and she made the brave choice to leave one of the most coveted jobs on the planet after her adorable son Odin was born. She decided to pursue a path that was just as creative and challenging, but more flexible than that of high fashion PR.

Asa and her husband David recently launched ATELJÉ 71, a line of Swedish-inspired shoes that are featured throughout HEUCY’s Spring 2015 look book. They are seriously some of the coolest shoes we’ve ever seen. When our stylist Kristen Ingersoll introduced us to ATELJÉ 71, we said we had to meet the founders because “Nordic Spring” was our inspiration for this season…and because ATELJÉ 71 and HEUCY are brands rooted in the same conventions and aesthetic. Both are focused on creating beautiful and thoughtful design for strong, dynamic women…who do a lot of sh*t and who move around a lot! These women need a practical, chic uniform to accommodate a full life.

I don’t exaggerate when I say I wanted to move into Asa’s apartment. I was really hoping she and David would adopt me, so I could just hang out on their sick terrace (that view!!) all evening and drink wine and laugh and chat about life.

But, alas, we needed to give Asa, David and Odin some space since they had hosted us for a few hours and Asa and David had to get ready for a night out on the town…as cute couples do. Yesterday was one of those days when you realize how important it is to get out and meet women like Robin and Asa to get inspired, and to feel connected to the world around you. This is especially true now, when so many people have lives and careers that are more gray than black and white.

Olivia Wilde’s style inspires us for a few reasons. She’s a smart, funny, talented actress who also happens to be incredibly gorgeous. But we don’t hate her for it because she’s smart and funny and talented. And, Olivia’s also really into sustainable fashion and living, which we love over here at HEUCY. Obviously. Check out her company Conscious Commerce (ww.wconscious.co) to read more about Olivia’s commitment to “Conscious Commerce – an experiment in living (and shopping) with a conscience.”

HEUCY really loves Olivia’s street style, too. She looks confident, unruffled and captivating – even on the coldest days. Or when she’s making a deli run, plastic bag included. We’ve captured some of our favorite looks here with a little guide on how you can achieve the same look with HEUCY’s eco-friendly fashions!

1. Looking Like a Lady (with a busy schedule)

Olivia may be in Paris in this shot…but the look is transferrable to any dynamic HEUCY Gal’s day. Especially if you have a lot of meetings (friendly and otherwise) and a night out in your future. Here’s how you can recreate this look:

A) HEUCY’s Indigo Weekender Dress. Incredibly comfortable, flattering and roomy. Great for a weekend of snores and chores.

B) Atelje 71’s incredibly stylish, comfy and cool sandals. Nee birkenstocks. We heart this company and it’s founder (look for her in an upcoming HEUCY campaign) and our model is wearing Atelje 71 in all of our Spring shots! Because they are so darn awesome.

C) A Vintage Fringe Bag. These bags are everywhere right now but don’t go for the fake, cheap ones…we’ve spotted tons of gorgeous options (like this one) on eBay that you can feel good about buying.

3. Big Night Out…but you’re not feeling it

Olivia is really pregnant in this photo, and we’re guessing she probably didn’t want to get all dolled up for the Oscars. It’s tiring when you have to urinate every five minutes and you’re carrying another human inside your body. A lot of us feel this way after a long week, pregnancy not included. This is when comfort and style must merge. Here’s how:

HEUCY Gal and fashion/lifestyle blogger Brynn Elliott Watkins shows us how to solve the April dressing conundrum in our Problem Solver dress! Check out how she’s layered with a moto jacket, a bucket bag, and some white tennies. A little more casual than Grace’s post yesterday, but perfect for a lazy Saturday spent walking around the neighborhood.

Brynn shows us that the best accessory — above anything else — is a smile. You can see Brynn’s blog and her post at www.beingelliott.com.

Thanks, Brynn, for modeling one of our best-selling dresses! Available now on heucy.com.

The temps are rising in NYC and across the U.S. Hurray! It’s about time. But now I have a quandary that you all may share: how do you dress when it’s still chilly enough for a jacket, but not cold enough for a puffy coat? And, when you’re ready to show off a cute new outfit?

Grace Atwood shows us how, today on thestripe.com, one of HEUCY’s favorite fashion/lifestyle blogs. Here she models HEUCY’s feather print Alter Ego jumpsuit on the street, with a classic Burberry trench coat, a simple black clutch (with straps for later) and — we love this — emerald green heels! Tres chic. Practical and stylish with a pop of color.

Stay tuned for more Spring dressing tips from some of our favorite tastemakers. Until then, enjoy the sunshine!